Voiceless
by Salmiakki Skittles
Summary: There are a number of reasons why somebody may not have a voice of their own, this could be of out of their control or even their own doing. As humans, something may have changed their lives dramatically which affects how they now are as personifications. Berwald, a man of few words and Peter, a child who has many but nobody is ever able to hear them. (Human AU in inital chapters)


A/N: Before the story begins, there are a couple of things I should point out.

This story is first set in an AU, where the nations are in their human form, the first couple of chapters presenting their backstory and reasoning as to how they have become the way that they are in the canon Hetalia-verse. Another thing is, the characters will be living in the personification's nation (Berwald being a Swede whilst human), with the exception of Sealand. Along with that, for this chapter, Berwald won't be speaking in a mumbled manner, it'll be explained later on.

Finally, I don't own Hetalia or any nations of my own.

* * *

"Today, another case of the National Board of Health and Welfare have granted permission to a twenty-three year old woman wishing to have an abortion. This comes as…"

Berwald watched the television screen lazily as he sifted through his cereal with a spoon in boredom, the previously dry food turning into little more than soggy mush. The news held nothing interesting. Well, nothing interesting that he hadn't already heard before.

"If they felt like they needed to get rid of the child, why conceive in the first place? Isn't that why they have the pill?"

The teenager muttered to himself, before raising another spoonful of his breakfast and eating it. Quite honestly, he had lost his appetite during the news report. It wasn't the fact that he found pregnancy disgusting, just the sickening feeling that people actually allowed the children to be killed before they even had a chance to be born. Also, a small part of him was jealous. They had the chance to have children and would willingly give it up as if there was nothing to it.

"Mmm… May as well head off now."

Berwald glanced over his shoulder, noticing the time creeping past steadily. With a heavy sigh, he stood up, dropping his bowl into the sink then slinging a backpack over his shoulders and made his way outside. Just a part of the schedule. There wasn't much excitement in his life after all, simply a seventeen year old student. He continued the walk towards the school, ignoring a couple of the passing shouts people had a tendency to throw back and forth. Although there was one which had particularly caught his attention.

"Hey, Bög. Gotten over my brother yet?"

He gritted his teeth, really not wanting to be reminded of that situation yet again. He kept walking, trying his best to ignore the next string of insults which had been hurled at him until a car had stopped along the side of the road and two people exited, now standing in his way. It didn't matter that Berwald held the height advantage in this situation, he was already outnumbered.

"Listen, when I'm speaking, I want an answer. Okay?"

Rolling his eyes, Berwald raised a brow at the two students in front of him. One had been the older brother which had first called out to him, the second being Niklas. Frankly, he didn't want to deal with a confrontation between Niklas' brother and himself. Especially since he hadn't actually spoken to Niklas ever since the other had found out about a secret crush that Berwald had been harboring on the other boy.

"I don't feel like dealing with this, so just let me past."

He replied, his eyes now sternly fixated on the taller of the two, trying to keep his composure. This had only been met with a strong fist to the jaw. The impact had left Berwald stumbling backwards, eventually causing him to fall backwards and his head collided with the concrete.

"Don't speak to me like that with your whore-mouth!"

Yet another insult had been spat at him as the other two walked off, returning into the car. Niklas hadn't even glanced back at him. 'So much for being fine with it…' The thought crossed his mind, followed by a flashback of the scene. The two had been close in the past, rather good friends in Berwald's opinion, so he hadn't felt threatened or intimidated in telling him his feelings. Besides, pretty much the whole school had assumed that Berwald was interested in the same gender regardless. Naturally, there were a select few whom decided this would be the perfect excuse to make his life a living hell. The constant insults, threats and occasional physical confrontation had almost become a part of his daily life. Still, this had yet to ruin the friendship between Niklas and Berwald until now.

With a pained groan, he pushed himself up off of the ground and rubbed the back of his hand against his mouth. A bitter taste was now present in his mouth, along with a crimson liquid now smeared against the back of his hand. He slid out a mobile phone from his left pocket, using the reflection to observe the damage.

"Not even nine o'clock and I already have a split lip. Wonderful."

He exclaimed, rolling his eyes and continuing the walk. After what had probably been close to fifteen minutes, as Berwald approached the front gate of the school, a figure gestured him to come forward. Squinting his eyes to try and get a better view of the person, after deciding that it hadn't been a certain older brother, he slowly made his way over to them. As he got closer, he recognized the familiar blonde hair parted to the side.

"Ohh… Niklas, I thought that-"

Cut off by a knee to the stomach, Berwald doubled over, sinking to his eyes as he cringed in pain. His teeth grinding as he tried to keep in a pained groan. Of all the people, he hadn't expected such an action from one of his few and closest friends.

"Berwald… I don't know what you're thinking, but I'm never going to be with you. Unlike you, I actually like having a social life and self-respect. You're pathetic, and I don't even know why I even considered you a friend in the first place… Ohh… And don't bother ever trying to talk to me again."

Berwald looked up at Niklas, tears threatening to spill from the corner of his eyes. He couldn't even tell which had hurt more anymore, the pain in his stomach, or that of the unexplained hatred. Lost for words, he simply watched as Niklas shook his head in distaste at the sight of the taller man, and then turned to walk off back to the school grounds. It took several minutes for Berwald to collect himself, finally stumbling up to his feet and bit his lower lip, causing the wound to deepen itself. Instead of following behind Niklas, he turned back to the direction he had come from.

Upon reaching the house again, he simply threw the backpack across the hall and hurried towards the bathroom and stared at himself in the mirror, leaning over the sink. There hadn't been anything wrong with him, had there? He didn't have any unsightly scars, no skin blemishes, anything besides the split lip. He leaned closer in before his forehead had collided with the glass, causing the screen behind it to open up and reveal the household's medical supply. Bandages, vitamins, sleeping pills. The latter had caught his eye, causing him to reach out and take the bottle.

As result of an erratic thought, Berwald reached down to twist the bath faucet and watched as the bathtub filled gradually. Not bothering to even take off his shoes, let alone any other clothing, he seated himself into the bathtub, the water lapping up at his ankles. Looking down as the bottom of his pants clung to his skin after coming into contact with his skin. He reached back over towards the small drawer, lifting the bottle of sleeping pills off of it.

"Use as directions follow… Prescription use only… Who honestly cares?"

He mumbled to himself, twisting the lid off of the bottle and lifted his head back, attempting to dry-swallow a number of them at the same time, choking somewhat in the process until he had taken what he had believed was sufficient.

"Never talk again..? Gladly, Niklas."

Berwald mumbled the last few words before his eyes grew weary, edging him into a state of sleep, still not having realised anything. Not the fact that he was still sitting in the bathtub, or that he had left the faucet running.


End file.
